In answer to my good friend Nick's weekly whinge about how tough it is being 1 of the four biggest clubs in the country and how horrible it must be to have ONLY amassed 68 points in the league, winning 19 and losing just 8 (that's less than Liverpool by the way). I have decided to air my thoughts to the world on being the fan of a little team from Lancashire known as Blackburn Rovers.
As a Blackburn fan we have very little to cheer, yes we are one of only 4 teams to ever win the Premiership (ah 95, i remember it as if it was yesterday) but that was 12 years ago! Since then we've had to suffer the indignity of relegation, some of quite possibly the worst signings any team has ever made (Lars Bohinen, Corrado Grabbi, Georgios Donis, Ashley Ward, Egil Ostenstad, Lorenzo Amoruso....) and coupled with this we've also had some of the averagest managers to ever grace these fine shores (Ray Harford R.I.P, Roy Hodgson, Brian Kidd, Graeme Souness). Had it not been for the legendary Tony Parkes we would have been a championship team long before Kidd eventually took us down.
In all the years i have supported the mighty blue and white halves we had never shown shown any ambition, after we won the title it was like the club as a whole thought "Oh well we've done it now we don't need to bother anymore." For one bright, shiny moment it looked like we might once again claim our place in the elite as Sven Goran Eriksson (Don't laugh, he was well respected then) was coming to England and he was bringing midfield maestro Roberto Mancini with him. This was a done deal, announced by chairman Robert Coar no less. I was just shy of exploding with excitement that day i can tell you. But guess what, dissapointment as usual as the boy Eriksson decides to stay in Italy and go on to lead Lazio to a league championship (with Mancini in the team) and a U.E.F.A cup triumph (not that i'm bitter or anything).
From the day king Kenny moved upstairs it's been 1 long haul as a Rovers fan. Any talented players we've had have been flogged for one reason or another. Damien Duff, David Dunn (yes i know he's come back now but he isn't the player he could've been in Bruce hadn't got his hands on him), and most recently Craig Bellamy. For god sake the best talent the club had seen since Big Al only went on holiday to Italy and ruined his entire life by having a moped crash, with no helmet when, had it not been for the Sweedish turnip Eriksson he should have been playing for England. (We still love you Matty)
Then finally, a Welsh sheephead rode into town like a knight in shining armour. Sparky was here and he was taking no prisoners. Out went the sentiment, if Blackburn were once again going to thrive we had to stop giving long contracts to players who just couldn't do a job for us. Gone were the useless foreigners we kept paying millions for. In came bargains that were real gems, (Ryan Nelson Free, Aaron Mokoena £325000, Andre Ooijer £2 Mil, Chris Samba £400000, David Bentley cheap and best of all Benni McCarthy for a measly £2.5 Mil) Hughes had obviosly grasped the use of 1 thing all previous managers hadn't bothered with, scouts. Add to that he finally found Brett Emertons position and actually played Morten Gamst Pedersen!(a player Graeme Souness had actually trailed for 2 and a half seasons then when he eventually got him never bothered to play him).
All of a sudden we were competing again, the sound of goal alerts on my mobile didn't necesarily mean a bad thing. We were playing good solid football with the likes of MGP, Bents and Benni adding the flair that we needed. Life was once again rosy. We were 1 MGP header and a out of this world save from Petr Cech away from giving Man Utd a far better game at Wembley (two big teams equals crap game, FACT!) and all this with an injury list for a little team that easilly rivals the Gooners (Nelsen, Savage, Reid, Ooijer,Roberts all long term) and with big Brad once again an inspiration and the added bonus of a little foray into Europe all in all it wasn't a bad season, but guess what dissapointment is only just round the corner!
Before the season has even ended our top scorer since the days of big Al has publicly declared his intention to leave, Sparky's being courted by every team that loses its manager and speculation always surrounds us. The club can come out and say we aren't a selling club all it wants but money talks and if someone were to over £20 mil plus for Benni he'd be gone no queastion. This is the constant, heart wrenching stress that you go through every time the crappy transfer window opens. Yeas i know TH gets linked to Barcelona as well but he's never actually said that he wants to go. Enjoy life at the top. Yes life without trophies is crap but when you've only won 2 in your lifetime then you appreciate every little bit of success that comes your way. Hopefully Sparky, MGP and Benni may all stay and next season could once again be filled with joy.
How's that for a rant.
Any questions or comments welcome as i've never ranted on mass before, hope you enjoyed.
